Blog - Read More About Your Favourite Islands

Rhodes is an island that offers lots of different aspects of Greece all in one place. Rhodes Old Town holds a lot of history and is made of winding cobbled streets and alleyways which lead into open squares full of markets, churches, restaurants and cafes. Pefkos is a beautiful resort with a gently shelving beach and crystal-clear waters. Perfect for family holidays, there are also a number of good tavernas where you can sample traditional Greek dishes. Lindos is a combination of Rhodes Old Town and Pefkos with a wonderful sandy beach and a town awash with historical buildings, the highlight of which is the acropolis which features the site of an ancient temple and a 14th century castle. In this article we’ll take you through our Island of the Week discovering why it is somewhere you absolutely have to visit.

How to get there
As one of the most popular islands in the Dodecanese and Greece itself, Rhodes has a large airport which you can fly into from many UK airports. You can fly direct into Rhodes from Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Belfast, the main four London airports and many more. As a centre for the Dodecanese you can also get a ferry from either Rhodes Town or Kamiros Skala if you want to explore nearby islands such as Kos, Symi and Kalymnos. 

A beautiful region in northern Greece characterized by its 3 peninsulas, often referred to as the ‘fingers’ or ‘claws’, has a wealth of wonderful things to see and do. Our Destination of the Week, each of Halkidiki's peninsulas is different and offers a unique experience which means you can feel the real Greece in every step you take.  In this article we’ll take you through some of our favourites to make the most of your trip to Halkidiki.

How to get there
Halkidiki doesn’t have an airport so you will have to fly into Thessaloniki. From there it is only a 40 minute drive to the top of the Kassandra peninsula which is the nearest and most westerly. To Sithonia (the central one) and to Aristotelis (the eastern one) it is around 2 hours. You can fly into Thessaloniki directly from London Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, Stansted and Newcastle. 

Things To Do

1 – Visit Ammouliani
Ammouliani is a small island located just off the coast the Aristotelis peninsula, between it and Sithonia. Meaning ‘fine sand’, the beaches on Ammouliani definitely live up to the name. The island has some of the best beaches in Halkidiki. You can even rent a boat or join a tour discovering the little inlets and coves across the island as well as spending time on the even smaller island of Drenia just south of Ammouliani. Along with the beaches the island is made up of low, rolling hills dotted with olive trees and houses. The port town is also named Ammounliani and is home to the local museum of folklore as well as the church of Agios Nikiolaos. The streets are full of tavernas and when there you have to try the fish and seafood, all of which is caught freshly. 

​This week’s Island of the Week is our personal favourite here at The Greek Specialist, the Cyclades Island of Sifnos.  Located in the west of the Cyclades, Sifnos very much has a similar feel and look. Most notably with the white-washed houses with shutters and the white walled churches with the blue roofs. It has a number of great beaches and its capital Apollonia, is full of close winding streets packed with restaurants and tavernas, so much so that in July and August it resembles a little Mykonos. This time of year is also when the nightlife is the best. From experience of having been there countless times here is our list of the best things to do in Sifnos.

How to Get There
Sifnos doesn’t have an airport so you will need to fly into Athens and then get the ferry from Piraeus port. Sifnos is on the Western Cyclades line and ferries tend to run at least twice a day from there. You can also fly domestically from Athens to its neighbour Milos and then get the ferry from there which takes around 45/50 mins. You can fly into Athens directly from Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Luton, Edinburgh and Stansted. 

Gastronomy
One of the things that really sets Sifnos apart from the rest is its food. Known across Greece for their skills in the kitchen, people from Sifnos have a number of recipes which really delight. There’s even a rumour that if you’re in the Greek Navy and the cook on your ship is from Sifnos, you should feel very lucky. The dish that the island is most famous for is Revithada, a chickpea soup slow cooked for many hours. If you’re on the island on a Sunday we think this is the best time to get it, as the chefs take it down to the bakers on Sunday morning and it is slow cooked for 6-8 hours making it perfect for Sunday lunchtime. Our personal favourite restaurant for it is called Meropi. Another restaurant you must check out is Nus which has its own farm which creates a lot of the produce for the restaurant making it organic and delicious.